Saratoga Springs man proposes gun buy-back program (WITH VIDEO)

SARATOGA SPRINGS -- A city man is spearheading efforts for a weapons buy-back program that would give people a safe way to dispose of unwanted guns.

Christopher Peake, a former CNN reporter, said he was inspired to launch the effort in response to last month's mass murder at Sandy Hook Elementary School in Newtown, Conn.

Several people have already pledged to support the program financially, and Peake is seeking cooperation from city officials as well.

"Most programs like this across the country are done through cities, like L.A. or Chicago," he said. "This would be privately funded. That's what makes it unique. I wanted to make a difference rather than do something feel-good, like write your congressman or call your senator.

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"Once it's gotten the green light legally, then we can proceed."

Peake said he's begun contacting local businesspeople for financial support and St. Clement's Catholic Church, one of the area's larger churches, to gain public favor.

Spa City businessman Ed Mitzen, owner of FingerPaint Marketing, said, "If people have unwanted firearms and are anxious to get them out of their homes to make them safer, this is a good way to do it."

Peake plans to meet next week with city Public Safety Commissioner Christian Mathiesen and Public Works Commissioner Anthony "Skip" Scirocco to discuss details.

"We have to answer questions like where it would be held, who would take possession of weapons and how do you dispose of them," Peake said. "We don't know how much money is needed because we have no idea how many weapons would be turned in. It would be for handguns, rifles, shotguns and assault-type weapons, and they have to be in working order."

He said handguns are typically bought back for about $200; rifles and shotguns for $100 to $150.

Plans call for setting up a special account at a local bank that people who want to support the program could donate to.

Mathiesen said police can't be directly involved with buying back guns. However, they can accept and dispose of guns collected through a privately-run program such as the one Peake is proposing.

City Police Capt. Michael Chowske referenced a program in Albany that is run through a local church. The program buys back guns and gives them to Albany police, who have them destroyed and sold for scrap.

Typically, guns sold to private buy-back programs are done so anonymously. That way, if guns are stolen, the seller is immune from prosecution.

Troy police previously had a program that has been discontinued, he said.

"It doesn't take long to go through tens of thousands of dollars," Chowske said. "People aren't going to sell guns for less than what they're worth. If you sell 10 guns, that could be $2,000 right there."

As a news reporter, Peake covered violence-torn Central America and the Caribbean. However, he said he's also an avid bird hunter and understands that many local people have guns for a reason.

"This is a rural area," he said. "People hunt, target shoot, they go to shooting ranges."

The goal, he said, is to reduce the number of unused, unwanted weapons that could wind up causing a tragedy, intentional or accidental.

"It's so there's less chance for them to be used where and when they shouldn't be," Peake said.